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Blink 3 of 8 - The 5 AM Club
by Robin Sharma
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The Brand Gap summary
How to Bridge the Distance Between Business Strategy and Design
15 mins
Brief summary
The Brand Gap by Marty Neumeier explains how brand and design integrate to create a successful company. The author shows how to bridge the gap between these two fields.
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The Brand Gap
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Become a charismatic brand by closing the “brand gap” between strategy and creativity.
Believe it or not, the Coca-Cola brand is worth $70 billion – a figure that represents 60 percent of the company’s total value!
And Coca-Cola isn’t alone. Today, the measure of any company’s value lies in the strength of its brand.
So how do you go about building a strong brand? Start by closing the brand gap, or the gap between strategy and creativity.
Here’s how the brand gap works in many companies. Left-brained strategy people work together, perhaps in the marketing department. These employees tend to be analytical, verbal and logical.
Meanwhile, the design department is exclusively populated by right-brained creatives. These employees are more intuitive, with strong spatial and visual skills.
And whenever tension happens between these two polarized groups, you end up with a brand gap.
Perhaps you’ve experienced this in your own workplace. Have you ever developed a highly sophisticated strategy that, upon execution, just doesn’t connect with customers? That’s likely due to the brand gap.
Ultimately, this phenomenon poses a major problem, because without a unified brand, your company simply won’t be able to compete in the marketplace.
Look at it this way: Companies with a brand gap can’t communicate who they are, so they don’t build a strong relationship to customers. And since customers don’t know what to expect, they won’t consistently buy the company’s products.
But in the case of charismatic brands, there’s little so-called psychic distance between customers and companies. In other words, customers have a solid relationship with a company and know what to expect from its products.
For example, companies like Coca-Cola, Apple and Nike have achieved this by establishing brands that communicate ideas of joy, beauty and style – all things people want for themselves. The goal of any brand is to develop this kind of aspirational, appealing identity and to communicate it consistently.
Each and every charismatic brand today has mastered the five disciplines of branding, which you’ll learn about in the upcoming blinks.
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What is The Brand Gap about?
In The Brand Gap, you’ll get the inside scoop on how a strong brand can give your company a competitive edge. When you learn how to implement the five branding disciplines outlined in this book, you’ll understand that in closing the gap between strategy and creativity, you’ll be able to build an irresistible brand that will make customers take notice.
The Brand Gap Review
The Brand Gap (2003) explores the gap that exists between business strategy and design, providing a fresh perspective on building successful brands. Here's why this book is worth reading:
- It offers clear, concise insights into the world of branding, guiding readers on how to bridge the gap between strategy and design.
- By incorporating a visual language that enhances understanding, the book makes complex branding concepts accessible and engaging.
- With its practical exercises and real-world examples, The Brand Gap offers a hands-on approach to applying branding principles, making it a valuable resource for entrepreneurs and marketing professionals alike.
Best quote from The Brand Gap
A brand is a persons gut feeling about a product, service or company.
—Marty Neumeier
Who should read The Brand Gap?
- Anyone looking to create a competitive brand that customers will notice
- Anyone interested in developing a successful marketing strategy
- Anyone who works in a company’s strategic or creative department
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The Brand Gap FAQs
What is the main message of The Brand Gap?
The main message of The Brand Gap is that successful brands bridge the gap between business strategy and creative execution.
How long does it take to read The Brand Gap?
The reading time for The Brand Gap varies depending on the reader's speed. However, the Blinkist summary can be read in just 15 minutes.
Is The Brand Gap a good book? Is it worth reading?
The Brand Gap is worth reading because it provides valuable insights into building successful brands. It's a practical and engaging guide.
Who is the author of The Brand Gap?
The author of The Brand Gap is Marty Neumeier.
What to read after The Brand Gap?
If you're wondering what to read next after The Brand Gap, here are some recommendations we suggest:
- Disruptive Branding by Jacob Benbunan
- Hello, My Name is Awesome by Alexandra Watkins
- Do No Harm by Henry Marsh
- The 22 Immutable Laws of Branding by Al Ries and Laura Ries
- How Brands Grow by Byron Sharp
- Start With Why by Simon Sinek
- What Great Brands Do by Denise Lee Yohn
- Raising Securely Attached Kids by Eli Harwood
- Help Me, I Have No Discipline and Zero Self-Control by Vaughn Carter
- The Courage to Be Disliked by Ichiro Kishimi & Fumitake Koga